This is the closest I'm likely to get to an official website - the place to announce & discuss all of my current & upcoming projects (comix, magazine articles & columns, fiction & metafiction, & music), & to share my thoughts on the arts, media, music, film, pop culture & politics. I'll publish for the first time online older writings from hard copy magazines & newspapers. I'll also post artwork, videos, or just blog away on whatever occupies my brain.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

FLICKER STREET Treatment # 5 - Paroxysms

This may be the final dispatch for a short while as I work on another article and prepare to move. The armored gentleman below, The Tormenter, does appear in this installment, albeit as a child. More on him soon. Enjoy!

FLICKER STREET Treatment # 5
– Paroxysms

I. Sheba Rising

Among the more horrid
attributes of the already proven thief/ rapist/ assassin Ewen
Cromwell the Carnifex was his virulent racism, which surfaced with a
vengeance when one of his many illegitimate daughters, Sheba Cheshire
(born 1900), had a passionate affair with an African man – and not
just any African man – but Abassi M'Nali Mathabane AKA Kith. Ewen
had an affair with Sheba's mother, Morrigan, during a mission in
Ireland in 1899. Unlike the vast majority of women Carnifex had
sexual congress with, this was not a rape. He actually had genuine
feelings for Morrigan. Hence his psychotic over-protective attitude
towards their daughter. He would visit Morrigan and Sheba
periodically through the years, though World War I was a challenging
time for a mercenary. Sheba shocked her mother when she informed her
that not only did she know her father's profession, she wished to
become a professional killer as well. Morrigan thought her daughter
was insane, but Sheba had inherited his father's leonine grace, raw
strength, athleticism, and rapid healing process. She insisted in
training with any kind of weapon she could get her hand on.

In 1919, Ewen gave in to his
daughter's burning curiosity and thirst for blood. When they left
Ireland for Asia, Morrigan killed herself. The Carnifex never looked
back. But his daughter was his obsession for a time – the only
person he'd cared for since he was a boy. Hence he entrusted her with
the one woman he knew could mentor her, care for her, and temper her
increasing excesses. This was the woman called Shun Ti, with whom
Cromwell had trained from 1872-1887. Shun Ti had needed a challenge
then after giving up her twin sons, the Omegan-raised Ursulin and the
Piscean-reared Anaximander-Zayan. Calming the raging beast Carnifex
was beyond anyone's capabilities as an instructor, it seemed. Beyond
Shun Ti, however, of all the Naodai AKA the Tamerlane Overlords, one
man commanded Carnifex's respect – the man called Kith. There was
only one problem; Ewen would never yield to a black man, even in
training. But perhaps, 22 years later, Ewen could muster the patience
to let his daughter train under Kith and to contain and direct her
dark impulses. Shun Ti favored this scenario. But she foresaw what
could happen even before it did, such was her Omegan intuition.

For Kith's part, he had not
been with a woman in decades, instead honing his chi energy at Feng
Qi with the Naodai, who he hoped to lead should anything happen to
Shun Ti. But still, he loved Shun Ti as a mother. She even revealed
her true nature as Ish the Omegan to her pupil. Kith forged of Sheba
a formidable force in all too few years. Inevitably, an attraction
grew, and Sheba gave herself to Kith as she had to no man before. Ere
long, Sheba was with child, and it was only a matter of time before
the baleful Ewen learned all. When he did, he challenged Kith, and
the two dueled – it was a close match – one called off by Shun
Ti. “The child to be deserves a family – and the dawn of a new
reasoning between us all”. Ewen contained himself. Sheba chose not
to wed Kith, though he offered, but Sheba did recall her mistress'
words, and called her daughter Dawn Lee Cheshire (born 1927).

Shun Ti offered to raise
Dawn at Feng Qi. Sheba, now a mother, was more uncertain than ever as
to how to channel her destructive tendencies. During a walk by the
ocean when Dawn was one, Sheba resolved to smash the infant's skull
open upon the rocks. But Kith had been following her, and saved his
daughter. Sheba declared them finished, though he deeply professed
his love for her. She was leaving Feng Qi to train alongside her
father and become the deadliest killer the world had ever known. And
leave she did, and with Ewen, who could barely contain his rage at
the ebon-skinned man he felt had tainted his sacrosanct offspring. He
vowed Kith would die an exquisitely painful death. But for now, Kith
had an infant to raise – just when he was making connections that
would further his projected rise to power.

In the 1930s Sheba Cheshire
became a first rate femme fatale and distaff assassin. With her
father becoming embroiled in ever more conflicts, Sheba learned how
to handle herself, to recruit, to train – but always with “daddy”'s
ultimate approval. She clashed, at one time or another, with all of
the Silent Seven, excepting Gadgeteer V and Captain Caliban. The
Saturnine nearly killed her, but this, oddly, turned her on, and for
a time she bedeviled him to no avail. Sheba was bi-sexual and was
drawn to Crimson Velvet (Felicia McGee). The two finally consummated
their affair but Crimson tried to strangle her afterwards. Sheba got
away and vowed never to bed a mystery woman again.

In 1938, Sheba was finally
caught and sent to prison by Eryk Stenrau, the Kraken, a man she was
both attracted to for his intellect and his superior martial arts
prowess. She was sentenced to death, though the Kraken himself plead
her case. By this time, her father was ensconced in the jungles of
Libania, lording it over a cannibal tribe and awaiting the
Orlison-Vossius expedition to the Holy Ziggurat. This has been much
discussed previously. Suffice to say, the government watchdog group
REACT took away Carnifex where, at least for a time, he could harm no
one else. In his healing agony, though, his heart rent over his
daughter's passing.

II. Then Came Dawn....

Dawn Lee Cheshire was 11
years old when her mother was finally apprehended and punished. Shun
Ti and Kith began training Dawn at a young age, though not to be a
killer. Shun Ti taught Dawn the co-mingled Omegan and Piscean
disciplines that she and her great love Friedrich Einnhauser
(Asenath-Zayan) learned together in the preparation for their mission
to Earth in 1823. Throughout World War II, Dawn was kept safe with
Shun Ti and Kith at Feng Qi, mastering all that she was taught. In
1946, she wished to go to America. Kith, in disguise, took her to
Hallmark, drawn as he was (and so many were) to Mt. Mosaic. Kith had
had brushes with the Silent Seven in the 1930s but took a perverse
pleasure in walking unaccosted in their city. He also wondered if
their views on race were any more advanced than that of barbarians
such as Carnifex, or, indeed, most of the Caucasian world. In Asia
during the war jingoism was the standard, but in America, blacks
still seemed to instill the most fear in whites. Kith's resentment
over his tenure as a slave had hardly dimmed with time. But with
Sheba... it seemed, for a brief moment, that things could be
different. He wanted this for Dawn as well.

Dawn was a stunning mixture
of racial characteristics. Even hardcore racists gasped when she
walked by. But the man who caught the shy 18 year old's eye was
Gerhardt Vossius, characterized in those days as “the most eligible
bachelor in Hallmark MA”. His legal brother Andreas was gay, and
assumed Gerhardt was as well. Gerhardt had had a kinky affair with
Felicia McGee in the 1930s but soon discarded her. Now she made a
living as a stripper. His secretary Kirsten Roeg was infatuated with
him, but he hardly noticed her. In general, the sullen millionaire/
ex-adventurer was by nature a loner... until Dawn's soft dark eyes
fell upon him. Kith, a master of disguise, posed as (what else?) her
father and called himself by his real name (unknown to all his
enemies). He called Dawn Lee Cheshire Dawn Mathabane. Kith did not
want to be the cracked mirror image of Ewen Cromwell when it came to
his daughter and so allowed her to date Gerhardt – chaperoned until
she turned 19. Vossius offered Mathabane a lucrative job at Vossius,
a pencil pusher job, insulting to his intellect, but the pay was
spectacular. He took this guise for a few months, evading recognition
by those of the Silent Seven that might drop by, such as Doc Vance;
and contending with patronizing jabs by his co-workers, who called
him “coffee boy”. He was ready to leave America after all this,
until Dawn announced her engagement to Vossius!

Kith saw this as a good
subversive move though. He would return to Feng Qi after the wedding
(scheduled for July 1947) and Dawn could be his spy. She was already
vastly trained in subterfuge, self-defense, and arts and sciences far
beyond the cretins who called him “coffee boy”, beyond even
Gerhardt Vossius. She cared deeply for Gerhardt but was admittedly
seduced by the “high life”, regardless of the racism she endured.
She agreed to use Gerhardt for what she could and report all to her
father. His infiltration of Vossius Metalwerks would play right into
his existing plans as the Machine developed.

III. Kanabal Unveiled

At the wedding all was going
well, with all of Vossius' partners in the Silent Seven in
attendance, as well as Isaak Vossius and luminaries such as the De
Ruyters, the ver Dorns, the Van Hokes, the Renovas, the Paiges, the
Darbys, the Palmers, and other prominent Hallmark families. Some
members of each family opted not to attend, mortified by the
interracial wedding. But this was to be expected in blue blood 1947.
Kith gave away his daughter, and as it seemed no one would speak now
or forever hold their peace (and dozens almost did), Dawn and
Gerhardt were declared husband and wife. Always one to be late, but
always one to make a grand entrance, into the church came crashing –
Carnifex! Doc Vance, though hopelessly outclassed, stepped forward,
though his former group had few if any weapons on them – save for
Ian McGregor. “Let me finish what should've been done eight years
ago!” he spat at Cromwell, who unsheathed his own fearsome blade,
which he'd somehow regained since the Libanian debacle. He deflected
Ian's thrusts, knocking him back and turning to address Dawn. “You!
I can tell you already bear the seed of this bastard of Jerissen –
do you even know your child won't be human? Mixed race all around...”

Kith's eyes flared with
power. Ewen admonished him: “Simmer down, African. Worry not; I
disavow this granddaughter borne of miscegenist folly, but more – I
part with a wedding gift. The truth. I've spent the last seven years
trying to learn just what happened that day in 1939, and what
Deomond's words meant. The human monster we sought wasn't quite human
after all – not quite many things – a hero, a philanthropist, an
Exodesian bastard. He's what Exodesians call hasslichen – what
Native Americans call wendigo. Their power is sustained by eating the
flesh of their own kind. So, “Doc”, your precious brother, your
mystery man Captain Caliban.... how obvious did it need be!??” Ewen
laughed heartily, then spun once more towards his granddaughter,
“your husband, you dirty black whore, Gerhardt Vossius – is
Kanabal!!”

Gerhardt was already fleeing
the church, as it seemed all but fainting society wives and a
crumpled heart-shattered girl called Dawn were left behind. Gerhardt
was fast – faster than his half-brother realized. He must've eaten
already, thought Doc, and the image repulsed him. Carnifex smashed
through the church windows to see Gerhardt already in his car, and
taking off. Save he wasn't alone. He'd grabbed a woman, Olivia Palmer
de Ruyter, wife of the criminal Anon., now incarcerated for life. She
felt she shouldn't be judgmental about the wedding as many were. She
was regretting her decision, as, while he drove, Kanabal was
literally ripping her apart and devouring her alive to gain strength.
As she expired, so did Gerhardt's windshield – beneath the weight
of Carnifex.

With his sword he smashed
the hood into a shrieking metal pulp. The car upended, penning
Vossius beneath. But Kanabal flung the car's debris far down the
street and charged at Cromwell. Cromwell sliced off Gerhardt's right
leg with one smooth stroke, and spat on him, exclaiming, “ See if
you can do what I did.... but... just in case... you have three more
limbs to practice with....”“Cromwell! Enough!!”
cried Kith from about a foot behind him. “this has gone on enough.
You'll never atone for your barbarism no matter how many Vossiuses
you bring down.”“Careful, Mathabane –
your daughter is one now – and is carrying its vile turpitude.”

With that, Carnifex sprang
for the nearest darkened alley. None could find him, though the
police certainly tried. None tried harder than Doc Vance – whose
brother, all along, had been his greatest, most mysterious foe. Even
Bram Vallard, who was as one with shadow, had no luck. Gerhardt
Vossius was imprisoned for life but never regrew his leg. But then,
he never had much chance to consume human flesh either.

Vance invited Dawn into the
family, and she agreed to remain in Hallmark and have her child –
she hoped it'd be a son so she could call him Solomon. She prayed
he'd have the wisdom that eluded three generations of Cheshire women.
Vance bade farewell to Kith but mentioned that he had hired a
brilliant black lab technician, Zachariah Clancy, at ORDER
Enterprises, who he would nurture despite rampant racism, and,
hopefully, if all went well, perhaps Dawn would be open to a date
with the young man. Kith was pleased, as much as he could be, and he
and Doc shook hands uncomfortably.

A bizarre but key wrinkle in
the tale of Gerhardt Vossius should be noted here. Vossius' long-time
secretary Kirsten Roeg began visiting Vossius in prison and writing
him daily. It seems she had been silently pining away for him for
years but never made her feelings for him known. She tried everything
to get his case appealed, working with a famed criminal lawyer Hephel
Kryle, whose father had also been an attorney of note (and a
criminal). But it was no use. It was enough that an insanity plea
kept the erstwhile Captain Caliban off of death row and in prison for
life. But Vossius did have an incredibly liberal warden during this
period, one that could also be bribed for the right amount by Miss
Roeg. This led to a brief series of conjugal visits between Vossius
and Kirsten. Kirsten wanted nothing more than Vossius' child, if she
couldn't secure his freedom.

And so, on September 15,
1949, Jennifer Roeg entered the world. Her birth certificate read
father: Gerhardt Vossius. Kirsten stayed in touch with the baby's
father throughout the 1950s, though he stopped writing her and
refused her visits once it was clear she couldn't get him released.
The final fate of this branch of the Vossius clan shall be revealed
further along in this narrative.

IV. The Earth Mother

Solomon Vossius was born in
November 1947 and, indeed, it was only a matter of time before Dawn
wed Zachariah Clancy, and their first born daughter, Artemis Morrigan
Clancy, was born in late 1948. Both of the brothers Stenbrau were a
bit crushed by the whirlwind romance between Zachariah and the
recently divorced Dawn Vossius. Anton Gamble was becoming a cult
writer of moderate success, mainly penning science fiction but on
occasion texts on existentialism and mysticism. His 1948 book, “The
Piscean Myth?”, recounting his views on what he saw in Libania in
1939, sold poorly but immediately placed him under lifelong scrutiny
by REACT.

Gamble and his brother Eryk
Stenbrau were both enchanted by Dawn Lee Cheshire Vossius Clancy, and
she considered them dear friends, but her heart belonged to her new
husband. Neither Eryk nor Anton ever broached the subject of their
feelings with anyone but each other, nor, though Dawn suspected, did
she ever confront them. But Clancy suspected. But he remained civil,
if aloof, with the brothers.

In 1950, the Clancys' second
daughter Maya Marie Clancy was born. Doc Vance was true to his word
that Zachariah would advance at ORDER Enterprises, despite much
jealousy and backbiting hurled Clancy's way. In 1953, the Clancys had
their first son, Oswin Juan Clancy, and in 1955, Hannibal Orrin
Clancy was born. Solomon never got along with his younger
half-siblings. He constantly bullied and tormented them. He had
inherited his father's sadistic streak, no doubt; though no one then
could foresee how far that vicious streak would extend.

Despite the time and
environment in which they raised their family, the Clancys managed to
prosper. They became Hallmark's first truly affluent African-American
family. But two things marred their happiness, and it wasn't the
racism directed at them that caused these traumas. First of all, as
noted, Solomon Vossius was a true problem child, and he began acting
out at home and at school at an extremely young age. In 1960, Solomon
nearly beat a white boy to death, claiming the boy was a racist
bully. In truth, Solomon learned how to handle himself with racist
children when he was a small child, never letting them get over on
him or win a fight. But now he had taken things to a horrid extreme,
as the attack was unprovoked in any way. Vance recommended several
child psychologists for the boy, but none could crack his steely
veneer, which only grew worse as he entered his pre-teens.

The greatest threat to the
Clancys however was from without, not within, and it came from a man
called Phileas Caleb. Caleb had noted Clancy's scientific genius for
some time; Caleb was a “headhunter” of sorts for SkullCorp. He
and his partner, the somewhat misanthropic Donal Rykards, scoured the
world for budding scientific talent. Age, race, nationality – all
mattered naught to the pair, as Skull was eager to harvest genius
wherever it presented itself. So many young people were able to gain
scholarships to study with and work for SkullCorp that would normally
never have such opportunity. Skull was seen a progressive leader in
education and prosperity, and President John F Kennedy even awarded a
special congressional medal to the company, as accepted by CEO
Bromley Chamberlain.

Zachariah Clancy and Vance
Orlison had become close friends over the years, and Clancy wished to
remain loyal to Vance. But Orlison desired what was best ultimately
for the family, and encouraged Zachariah to take a coveted position
at SkullCorp – one where Zachariah could, under Caleb's aegis,
oversee and train a host of young lab technicians in cutting edge
areas of technology. The Clancys' own children, with the exception of
Solomon, were performing at very high levels in school, and Zachariah
didn't want any of them held back by issues of their race or gender.
Before Clancy could take the position, however, he was given
unsolicited advice from Anton Gamble. By this time (1961), Gamble's
work was being hailed as visionary in some circles; in others he was
debunked as a paranoid crank. Zachariah held little stock in Gamble's
theories, though if Clancy did make it to SkullCorp, he would see
that much of what Gamble professed was true.

Gamble warned Clancy that
SkullCorp was a sham, a pernicious entity whose sole goal was power –
that the young talent being mined by Skull were going to be exploited
and discarded. Clancy felt Gamble was indeed paranoid, and more,
jealous of Clancy's success. And of his wife. Clancy pushed Gamble
physically back and informed him he'd known for years that the
Stenbraus wanted Dawn – but they lost out. Zachariah pointed out
that Gamble's most recent book “The Earth Mother” was an ode to
Gamble's unrequited lust for Dawn. Gamble admitted Clancy was right
but that didn't justify ignoring warnings about Skull. He encouraged
Zachariah to talk to Eryk, but also others who knew far more than he
did about the things he was trying to make Clancy aware of.

“Who?”, spat Clancy,
“Your 'alien informant' “Captain Omega”? Your friend Bradcroft
who peddles occult curios on Flicker Street?? What a joke!”“Do you mean to tell me
Vance Orlison doesn't ever wonder about Skull?” asked Anton.“Vance is a great man, a
great hero – unlike you and your pathetic brother – and he's seen
a lot of strange things. But he's pragmatic, a sound thinker. You're
just a lunatic – a beatnik hack with a thing for sisters. Go peddle
it somewhere else, “Jakob Stenbrau” - I'm not buying”.“But you're selling, man –
a piece of your soul – and your family's.”Zachariah was by nature a
pacifist and so he contained his indignation at this remark and
merely walked away.

What he was walking into
will concern us shortly...

Welcome to Flicker Street!Henry CovertJune 24, 2015

Flicker Street, all images, characters, and story elements are Copyright 2015 George Henry Smathers Jr.

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With Honor

This eclectic collection of manga-style comix includes my story "Snow Leopard", featuring pencil art by Albert Luciano; inks by Alex Rivera; letters and tones by editor Shawnti Therrien; and was written, created, and designed by yours truly. Copies are now extremely scarce.

Creating Comics

In this trade paperback, I have a 4 page entry devoted to my storytelling process for SNOW LEOPARD. Published September 2010.

Genesis RIP 1992-2007 - friend, companion, familiar, soulmate

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My editor, collaborator and friend Shawnti Therrien

Shawnti edited 'With Honor' and aided and abetted "Snow Leopard". She also has her own killer site Immortal Gothic (click pic to travel there). Shawnti created and designed the distinctive graphics for She Never Slept, my ex-wife's former website, which hosted much work by myself and friends Sean Lee Levin and Heather Royston.

Henry Covert and Philip Jose Farmer, FarmerCon 2, August 2007

Four years ago, I finally met my all-time favorite writer. This was fortunate, as Mr.Farmer passed away in February 2009. The Maker of Universes has left ours behind for a far more radiant one. I love you, Phil.

RIP Ronnie James Dio July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010

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All contents of this blog, except where otherwise noted, are written and created by Henry Covert, and are copyright 2008-2017 by George Henry Smathers Jr. 'Strange Others', 'Strange Others by Henry Covert', and 'Henry Covert.com' were created 2007 by Henry Covert and are copyright 2007-2017 by George Henry Smathers Jr. All images copyright 2017 their respective copyright holders, save as noted otherwise.